Her Story
by Sunnymuffins
Summary: Mina is one of the few female bootleggers. Her strength and beauty has always drawn a certain Bondurant brother to her, but will she have him?
1. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1**

My name is Mina Montgomery, I've lived in Franklin County, Virginia for almost my whole life. My mama and daddy died when I was just a little thing, and after that it was either go live with my Auntie Barb and her new husband, or end up in an orphanage. Sadly, it was a pretty hard choice to make. My Auntie Barb and my mama didn't get a long too well when she was alive, something about Auntie Barb being a home wrecker or some sort.

Soon as I got to Franklin County me and her had some awful fits about the way I should be raised. My daddy had always wanted a little boy, a strong son to carry on the family name. But he never got one, so he raised me like I was that little boy. I loved it, taught me how to hunt, fish, work the land, and even fix up the old farm truck. Auntie Barb got it in her head I was gonna be a lady, whatever that meant. She'd dress me up in what she called 'pretty little outfits', and I'd come home with them all tore up and muddied.

I hated them stupid dresses, I couldn't do nothing in them. I missed my old beat up overalls and my dusty boots. I missed my old life, and my mama and daddy more than anything. When my auntie would tell me to go say my prayers before bed I'd always pray that they'd come back. But, they was dead, and no amount of praying was gonna bring them back.

Auntie Barb just got worse once I hit my teen years. Started strapping me up in these evil contraptions called corsets and girdles. Once she'd gotten me tied up in those she'd start painting my face with terrible amounts of make-up. Saying all the while that I had to look the part if I was gonna marry a man that mattered.

She wanted me to marry a man with money, and land, and prospects. But I was already in love, head over heels in fact. He was the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on, and when our lips met my knees done turned to melted butter. But we was stupid, I guess it was more that I was stupid. I got myself knocked up.

I think my Auntie Barb would of rather just took me out back and shot me like a sick dog. But her husband made the decision to send me away, let me have my baby and give it away. It was the worst time of my life, even worse than when mama and daddy died. I was shipped off to some place that wasn't a church but sure as Hell had a lot of nuns running around. All I wanted was to be with the man I loved, get married and raise our child. But that wasn't in the cards for me.

I gave birth to my baby boy when I was just seventeen. I guess everyone there liked me a bit, cause they didn't want to have to make me give up the baby. But it was the rules. They let me have a picture though, it was the first picture I'd ever had taken of me. It was just of me and my little boy in a rocking chair. After that they took him away, and packed me up to go back home.

Never did show my Auntie Barb that picture. I hid it til I was allowed to go out, then I snuck it out to the baby's daddy. He was mighty angry that I had just upped and left, not like I had no choice, but he didn't know nothing bout why I had to leave. All the yelling and hollerin' he was doing was pissing me off something mighty. So I just handed him the picture, turned tail and got the Hell out of there. Ended up locking myself in my room for a few days, crying my eyes out. When I was done with that my auntie's husband came to talk to me. My Auntie Barb didn't want nothing to do with me no more, which was fine by me, but he figured since I was a disgraced woman around Franklin County, no harm would come outta me joining up with him and helping him out with his business.

Moon shinning and bootlegging, the new family business.


	2. Chapter 2

**_I'm still trying to set everything up for where I want this story to go. Please be patient with me. =-) Thank you for the reviews, favs, and follows. Even if I end up not getting any more reviews for this story, I don't think I can stop, I hear Mina in my head, telling me her story every waking moment. Also, I won't be able to update as regularly as I'd like. I work a lot, and have a three year old and a husband that want all my attention =-)._  
**

**Chapter 2**

Don, my aunt's husband, had all the details planned out for me. Said that men went wild for two kinds of women. The saint and the sinner. Seeing as how we was running moon shine and not opening up a church, I needed a sinner reputation to get my way. I really didn't know bout what he was talking about. After what I'd already done I figured that made me enough of a sinner. But Don wouldn't tell no one about the baby, to spare my Auntie Barb the heart break and embarrassment all over again.

Which meant I needed to do something new to be looked at as the 'bad girl' in town. And Don had just the thing to do it. He had a business contact who was coming into town to pay him a visit. Some hot shot city boy. I thought I'd have to flirt, at the most, with this complete stranger. But Don had something else for me to do.

That was a strange night for me, sleeping with someone I ain't ever met before. He wasn't real gentle, but he didn't hurt me much, which was kind of him. After he left I was sore, physically and mentally. I was so mad at them both, Don for trading me off like a hooker, and the man for going along with it. I was mad that I didn't even get to know the man's name, too. Like it was some big ole secret.

Don came to me then, comforted me, and told me that in this life, we all gotta do some things we ain't proud of. He told me that doing this got me my reputation, cause this man was going to make sure it spread like wildfire. When I asked him what the Hell they got out of it he said that he got us all something important, protection. If anything happened, my Auntie Barb, him, and me would be looked after and taken care of. The man got a roll in the hay and a discounted price on all the shine we'd sell him.

I was still pretty upset, feeling like I'd been used. So Don shared a secret of his own with me, hoping to make my hurt less, it was one I had to promise never to tell no one, or Don could loose his life. It was the reason for my Auntie Barb's bad attitude, cause it meant that she'd die without ever having children of her own.

Don was a homosexual.

That shocked me down to my core, I never really thought they were real, like a unicorn or something. But I'd been living with one all the while. At first I thought I was supposed to hate him, it apparently being a sin and all. But I'd sinned, too. That very night I had. And he was still the same Don he was before, nothing real had changed.

But I knew, if anyone else found out, Don's life would get real bad real quick. So I vowed to take that secret to my grave, or his, in this business you never quite knew when your time was going run out.

* * *

After that night things changed for me fast. The women in town looked at me like I was the Devil in disguise, and the men looked at me like they was the Devil himself. I felt like I should be upset, but for some reason I just found it all to be kinda funny, til I ran into the one person I didn't want to know about what I'd done.

I was heading into the shop, bout to place an order for ingredients, and he was coming out with his brothers. The way he looked at me made me wanna run away and hide for the rest of my life. The disappointment in his beautiful eyes was clear as day to me. I guess it wasn't that clear to see for his brothers, judging by the way his older brother was eying me up like I was the last steak in the world and he was a starving man. His little brother just blushing and still trying to be a gentleman. Even took his damn hat off and held the door for me.

I had never wished I was dead more in my whole life than I did in that one short moment.

* * *

I didn't see him for awhile after that, well, I didn't see any of the Bondurant boys for awhile after that. I steered clear of Howard, really not wanting to be in that situation. But eventually my luck ran out and I ran into Jack.

He was falling over himself so bad, not sure if he was still suppose to treat me like a lady or not. I tried hard, but I couldn't help but laugh.

"You don't have to treat me anyway you don't wanna, Jack." I told him, hoping to make him a bit less uncomfortable around me.

He gave me one of his beaming smiles, the kind I'm sure could melt a girl's heart. "Then I'll just go head and treat ya like a friend." And he stuck his hand out for me to shake.

That word gave me a bit of pause. Friend, I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a friend. I decided then and there that a friend was something I wanted. Maybe even needed. So I shook his hand and smiled.

And that's how I became friends with Jack Bondurant and his crippled friend, Cricket. I spent a lot of time with them two after that. Well, whatever time I wasn't spending helping Don with the business. It was nice, not having to worry about what they thought bout me, just having fun and being myself for once. No expectations, no nothing but a few friends being dumb and having the times of their lives.

I ended up telling them both the truth after Jack started acting weird around me. I pushed at him til he told me why.

He said his brother Howard was ragging on him about hanging around with the town harlot. Asking him how good I was in the sack and some such nonsense. I told them they couldn't tell no one about the truth of it. That I needed that reputation at some point in the future. It made me laugh when the look of relief came over their faces.

I probably should of known that neither of them could keep a damn secret from their family. That's another one of them dumb things I've done in my life. But this one was gonna end up biting me in the ass worse than the others.


	3. Chapter 3

**_It's short, but I've been sick and then super busy at work, so I've decided to update whenever the mood strikes me, instead of forcing it. _  
**

**_On another note, I was wondering if anyone has noticed that I didn't describe my characters (Mina, Don, and Auntie Barb) physically. I have what they look like in my head, but I've never been good at describing characters, I always get way too detailed, and it irritates me. So, if you guys are anything like me, you already have a picture of them in your head, too. I was wondering what they looked like for you guys. If you want to you can go ahead and PM me how you see them. Or you can put in the review, no pressure to do it, just my curiosity. (I know that the cover for this is a picture of a woman with the name 'Mina' under her, but that's just a picture of me in black and white that I threw up there because I couldn't get the pictures I wanted to work on my Picasa. You can disregard it if you'd like =-))  
_**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Mina sat on the porch swing on her front porch, gently rocking back and forth as she smoked her cigarette. She stared out into the night, listening to the breeze rustling through the leaves and the crickets chirping. It was a nice night, so nice that she was in her night clothes, an old sleeveless shirt that was her father's, and a pair of cloth breeches.

It was nice to relax, she had been so busy with the business that she hadn't been able to see Jack or Cricket in weeks. She missed them, but on the other hand, it was nice to be doing something. Now that it seemed to slow to be slowing down a little, she figured she'd go see them the next day and catch up.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear him coming up the steps. "Hey," he said, startling her and causing her to fumble her cigarette and burning her arm.

"Ow, shit! Forrest, don't sneak up on people like that!" She said angrily, brushing the ashes off of her clothes.

"Sorry," Forrest mumbled, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking down at his feet.

Mina stared at him for a minute, waiting for him to speak again, when he didn't she let out a long sigh, slightly disappointed that this is what they once had together had been reduced to. "Whatcha want, Forrest?"

He looked up at her then, a million thoughts and emotions running through his head as he tried to think of how to start the conversation and get it to the point he wanted it to go. "Why'd ya do it?" he finally blurted.

Now it was Mina's turned to examine her feet, hiding the shame that washed over her face. "I don't know what ya talking bout." She said, hoping that she was wrong and Jack hadn't opened his big mouth.

"Don't play dumb with me, Mina. Jack told us everything. How could you do that?" Forrest huffed, shuffling forward angrily.

"Dammit Jack," she mumbled. Mina smashed her cigarette out in the ash tray and tried to compose her thoughts. It wasn't working that well. "I did what I had ta do." She said, still looking at the tray in her lap.

"And what the Hell does that mean?" Forrest asked staring at her expectantly.

"It's complicated, Forrest. A lot of shit happened at once, I didn't have no one no more. Cept Don." she finished with a little sigh.

Forrest just stared at her. Slowly the wheels in his head started to turn, soon it started to make sense. Still not enough sense for him to be happy with the situation. "So you didn't have no one, and you just climbed inta bed with some guy you didn't even know?" he demanded.

"It ain't like he was dangerous or nothing!" she exclaimed, looking up at him, her eyes glassy with tears unshed. "Don wouldn't of let that happen, not with someone he didn't trust."

"Mina, he made you crawl into bed with some fella ya never met before like some kinda prostitute, just so you could get a damn job!" Forrest half shouted, half growled at her.

"Don't you talk to me like that! You don't know nothing!" she yelled, jumping up and into his comfort zone.

He opened his mouth to yell back, but was interrupted. "What in the Sam Hell is going on out here?!" They both looked over, startled, to see Auntie Barb standing in the door way wearing her old house coat and a look that could freeze Hell.

They both mumbled an apology and stepped away from each other. Barb put her hands on her hips and scowled at the two of them, "Mina, get in this house now...I don't want to hear it!" she said, cutting Mina's excuse off before she could even make a sound. Mina looked from Barb to Forrest and then scurried into the house and up to her bedroom.

Forrest turned to leave but she stopped him before he could get off the porch. "And as for you, I don't know who the Hell you think you are, but I don't want to see you, ever again. I don't care if it is here, in town, or in the great beyond. You ruined my little girl! You defiled her and turned her into the little Jezebel that she is now." Barb scathed at him.

Forrest just stared at her for a second, absorbing her words. Maybe this was all his fault, he thought. He had taken her virginity, promised her a life together, and then treated her horribly when she came back from having their baby. Even though he didn't know that's where she had gone, he probably should of figured that her aunt had something to do with her disappearing.

But he never once asked where she was, or why she had been sent away. He just assumed that she had hightailed it away from him. He knew she wasn't that kind of person, but it was his stubborn way of thinking. Forrest never did believe that he was good enough for him.

He mumbled a 'yes ma'am' and turned, heading to his truck to go home. He heard the door slam behind him and sighed, getting in his truck. Forrest promised himself that he would steer clear of the whole lot of them, especially Mina. But then again, when it came to her, he was as hopeless as a love struck teenager.

* * *

_**Oh, I thought I should point out from one of the reviews I got. Mina did what she did because she felt lost, alone, and hopeless. She lost her parents when she was young, she lost her aunt's approval and love, and she lost her child and Forrest. She was metaphorically floating in the ocean on a tiny piece of debris. Her step-uncle came along and threw her a life boat. She was young and foolish and willing to do almost anything to still be useful/wanted by someone.**_

_**Lol another review I wanted to address. If you didn't like the movie "Lawless" and therefore can't stand my story, why are you looking in the "Lawless" catagory for something to read?  
**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_This whole first bit has been keeping me up at night for the last few days. Driving me nuts! Lol so I just had to get it out. Hope you all like it, and Merry Christmas._  
**

**Chapter 4**

I was up in my room trying hard to put on my strong face when I heard Forrest's truck drive off. It was the same face I'd used since my parents died so many years ago, but this time it seemed a lot harder to get in place. There used to be so much love between the two of us, but life had taken it's toll, I suppose, and tore us apart. When the door opened behind me I knew just who it was, and was fairly pleased with my strong face.

I knew it was her, she always had this presence when she came into a room, so I didn't bother turning around, or even speaking. She was most likely there to give me a lecture, or tell me how stupid she thought I was. I was replaying all the old fights we'd had when she surprised me by coming and sitting next to me on the bed. When I looked up at her she was looking down at her hands in her lap, her back straight and proud as always, shoulders back, ever the picture of composure.

The look on her face told me that she was thinking, quietly going through things in her mind. But when she looked up at me it was like everything she'd just had in her mind was gone, and she just opened and shut her mouth, like a fish, before looking back at her hands. It happened in a split second, but everything about her changed. It was like her whole body just deflated, her back no longer straight, or proud, her shoulders hunched.

I was so taken aback by her change that I almost didn't hear her when she spoke so very quietly. "I'm so, so sorry." It was the only thing she said, but it was all it took to shatter my fake strength. Before I knew it I was sobbing, my whole body shaking with the power of them. My face was buried in my hands when I felt her arms wrap around me and she pulled me close. I still remembered the last time I'd cried into my aunts shoulder, the day of my parents funeral. But this was different. It wasn't a little girl being comforted by her aunt, it was just a woman, comforting another in her time of need.

I'm not too sure how long we sat like that, it felt like hours, but it was probably only a few minutes. Barb pulled away and took my face in her hands, "This is all my fault, Mina. All my doing. I've been a terrible person." Although I felt like it would be the polite thing to say, I didn't disagree with her. She seemed to take that as her cue to continue, so she got up and walked to the window. It was almost like she couldn't go on if she was looking at me.

"I was selfish, and pig-headed. I wanted you to have the life that I didn't have, I never even thought that you might want something different for yourself." I could hear her voice cracking a bit, trying to keep herself composed as she worked all this out of her head. "It may not have been my fault that Forrest and yourself conceived out of wedlock, but the blame is mine for that child being born out of wedlock. You were so happy the day the doctor told us you weren't sick, that you were with child. I still remember how excited you were to tell Forrest, saying how the two of you were going to get married and raise your baby together. But all I could see was you waking up one morning, five, ten years down the road, next to a man who didn't love you anymore, with a brood of children under foot. I couldn't imagine that the two of you would really last."

Barb finally turned around to look at me, regret and sadness etched on her face. "I didn't want you to end up like me, Mina. I've been married three times in my life. Two ended in death and this one...well this one is fake. I lost my chance to be happy a long time ago, and now I'm just a bitter old lady." She crossed the room and took a seat at my vanity, looking at herself sadly in the mirror.

"Your daddy used to look at your mama with a look that spoke volumes. A look that said he'd move mountains for that woman. I got so jealous of her, I used to think that as the older sister, it should have been me having a man that would look at me that way. I did something very selfish and stupid, and your mama, well she never forgave me. Not that I blame her." She seemed to have steered off her course, and was saying most of this to herself. I moved on my bed and the creek of it seemed to bring her back to now.

"Forrest...I said some things to him before he left. Some spiteful things, and on my way up here to spread more of it to you I had a moment of clarity...a...oh whats the word?"

"An epiphany?" I asked, wondering what the heck she was talking about.

"Yes, that's the word. On the way up here I had an epiphany. I realized that this was my fault, that the blame was on me, not the two of you. And I realized, too, that I'd seen the look in Forrest's eyes as he watched you leave before. I'd seen it in your father's eyes, when he looked at your mother. That boy may be as stubborn as an ox, and probably won't ever admit much to himself, or to you. But he loves you. He'd move the Heavens and the Earth for you, darling. And I stood in the way of that, foolishly. You have to make things right with him."

I stared at her for a moment, wondering if she'd lost her damn mind. "What!? I have to make things right? Me? I didn't do nothing wrong!" I really hadn't realized that I'd jumped up off my bed.

The look she gave me told me to sit down and shut up, so I did. "First off, honey, yes, you did. I may have been wrong about all the things I put you through, but that was still no excuse to take Don's advice. That man is always looking out for himself. And second off, even if you didn't do anything wrong, you're the woman. Men will fix anything that's broken, except relationships and broken hearts. If you don't fix it, then it won't ever get fixed."

She came over and kissed my forehead before saying her good nights and gracefully leaving me to my thoughts. Like a love struck school girl, my mind kept going back to the same damn thought. Forrest still loved me.

* * *

Forrest got home that night to a, thankfully, empty station. No customers to help, no brother's to ask him where he'd been. He headed upstairs after locking up and got ready for bed. But visions of Mina kept running through his mind, and he knew that sleep was a fantasy tonight. He kept thinking back to the way things used to be between them.

The way her hair would fall softly over her shoulders, the shine in her eyes when she'd laugh. The sound of her voice calling his name when they were tangled in each others arms. He used to love the way she'd bite at her lower lip when she was thinking, and the way she looked at him when she told him that she loved him for the first time.

He still remembered the way he stuttered through a reply. Stammering out that he wasn't sure how he felt, but that he cared about her, then asked her if that was enough for her, like an idiot. She had laughed at him, not in a mean way, but a little giggle. He felt so relived when she'd told him that she didn't need him to say it back, she just felt it, so she said it.

That's the way she was back then, she'd always say what she was feeling, or thinking. And the fact that she didn't care who was around when she spoke her mind, and she just never cared about any of that. It was one of the things that drew him to her in the first place.

It was sometime around 3 am when he realized that he was a fool back then. He had loved her, and if he could trust what he was feeling, he still loved her. Now if only she felt the same way.

He reached under his mattress and pulled out the picture she had given him almost a year ago now. She looked so beautiful in it, looking down at her son...at their son...with such love and yet so much sadness. It nearly broke him down.

By the time the sun came up he had made up his mind. He had to find out if she felt the same way he did. If she wanted him back, even after how big of an ass he'd been back then, and last night. He didn't care anymore about what she'd done, it was a stupid mistake, it had to have been.


	5. Chapter 5

**_It's short, but this was mainly to show off the mini timeline I've figured out after reading some of The Wettest County in the World. I expect to get some flak from some people about the age difference between Mina and Forrest, but I really don't care, seeing as it fits pretty nicely with the time the story is set in._  
**

**_1900- Howard is born  
1901- Forrest is born  
1907- Cricket is born  
1907- Mina is born  
1910- Jack is born  
_**

**_Mina's parents died when she was 14, that's about the same time she met Forrest, he was 20. She got pregnant and had the baby when she was 16, making Forrest 22. She's 17 years old now. Meaning the story is taking place right now in 1924.  
_**

**Chapter 5**

Forrest shot awake, images from his dreams still lingering in the forefront of his mind. Images of soft, almost silken, skin under his roughened hands, his name tumbling from her perfect lips. He shook his head trying to free his mind from the dream, from the memories. Forrest had a feeling that it wasn't going to work, he could feel her inside of him, beating in his heart, playing in his mind. He got dressed and ready for his day in a fog of half wakefulness.

If he had any fantasies about it getting better the more work he threw himself into, they were shattered quickly. No matter what he was doing, whether his mind was supposed to be fully involved in his work or not, she was always there. Flashes of her underneath his body, writhing and moaning, would sneak up on him through out the day. Strangely, those weren't the memories that tormented him the most.

Her smiling, laughing in the sunshine. Or just sitting quietly, staring out at the world from the front seat of his truck. They had been so happy together, she may have been younger than him, but it never really showed. She brought out the part of him that he thought had died with the Spanish Lady Flu. The part that he could of swore had died with his mother and sisters. He felt so alive and happy with her, it was something he had never wanted to give up.

Then she was gone, just like that. They had talked about running away together, she couldn't stand much more of her aunt controlling her every breath. He had asked her to wait, to give him time to get things in order. He had planned on offering her aunt and uncle anything they wanted, if they'd let her marry him. When she was just gone he had thought that she'd had enough waiting and took off without him, she always did have trouble with patience.

He was stupid, and hurt, he ended up throwing himself at every skirt that looked at him. In the nine or so months that she was gone, Forrest had put so many notches in his headboard that he'd lost count. Most men would of found that to be great, but for Forrest it just made him feel ashamed of himself.

And when she'd come back he had lashed out, internally blaming her for how low his opinion of himself had become, for how empty his life had been without her. She hadn't said anything, the crushed look on her face saying everything she was feeling. Then she gave him that picture and ran. That picture that changed everything and yet nothing at all. He still hated himself, even more now. But it was worse now, now that he knew she had done nothing to deserve the way he acted, the way he treated her.

"What's wrong with ya, Forrest?" Jack said, startling him out of his own thoughts. No one ever got the drop on him, he must be loosing his mind.

"Hmm?" he growled at Jack, wondering if he was really loosing his touch so much that his little brother could read him so easily.

"The date," Jack said, pointing at the page Forrest was working on. "That's wrong, you ain't never got the date wrong before."

Forrest stared down at the bookkeeping he had been working on, trying to figure out what was wrong about it. Jack kind of chuckled before helping him out.

"It's ain't been February for a couple a days now, Forrest. It's March now, March 2nd."

It took a couple seconds for that to sink into Forrest's brain, but when it did he was out of his seat and half way to the door before Jack had even fully realized that he'd moved.

"I got somewhere I need to be, keep an eye on the station." He barked over his shoulder at Jack before he disappeared out the door and down the front steps. Jack staring after him, wondering what in the Hell was going on.

* * *

I was loaded up the truck with some mule, getting ready for a run, when I felt someone come up behind me. It was never a good thing, someone sneaking up on you, when you were a blockader. Whirling around, I nearly got my fist connected with whoever it was right in the side of their face. But my fist got grabbed, and I came face to face with one Mr. Forrest Bondurant. Of course I couldn't get a hit off on him, him being the one who taught me how to fight and all.

"I see ya been working on that right hook of yours" he grunted.

I just rolled my eyes and turned back to arranging the mule in the back of the truck. "Whatchu want Forrest?"

He didn't say anything for awhile, and I kind of figured he'd just leave if I ignored him long enough. I really wasn't in the mood to fight, or even talk, to anyone today. After a while he finally cleared his throat and I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder. My heart damn near stopped at what I saw.

Forrest was standing there, holding out a single wild flower, looking at me with those beautiful, deep eyes of his. "I made a promise, two years ago today. And I don't intend on breaking that promise."

I could feel the tell-tale lump in my throat as I took that flower from him. Memories from so long ago flooding back to me.

* * *

A fifteen year old girl, crying as she sat next to a little stream. Her best friend in all the world sitting next to her asking her why she was so sad on such a special day. She told him of her father. How every day, on this day, he would come home with a single flower, just for her. He and her mama had died in a horrible automobile accident almost half a year before then.

"I'll never get another flower from him again," she cried before burying her face in her hands. She didn't see her friend reach over and pick a wild flower.

"Mina." he said, causing her to look up at him. "I know it ain't from your daddy, but here."

She took the flower from him, fresh tears and a small smile appearing on her face. "It's beautiful, Forrest."

He smiled at her. "I swear, on my mama's grave, that I'll give you a flower on this day, every day, til I'm dead."

"Thank you, Forrest." she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Mina." Forrest said, before turning and leaving before I could say anything. I sat down on the truck, the tears I'd been fighting to hold back for so long now falling from my eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**_I haven't updated in awhile, sorry for that. I went back to work on Monday, and before that I was trying to get back into the swing of non-vacation life. Hope you enjoy this short chapter. I wanted to keep writing, but I think I effed up my hand at work today. _**

**C****hapter 6**

My worst nightmare happened a few days later. Don, the oblivious uncle as always,decided to throw me a 'surprise' birthday party. In reality, it was just another way for him to work on making more connections and do more business. The man was a workaholic. He got me a dress, if you could really call it that.

It looked more like something a street walker would have been wearing in England decades before I was born. It had an off the shoulder thing going on, low cut to the point I was terrified that my breasts would escape at any moment. The waist was tight, like a corset, and I had to have someone help strap me into it. I liked the skirt part, it was a dark red, with a black lace overlay.

I felt so out of place in it, the fact that Don had my aunt do up my hair and my make up just added to that feeling. "I look like a painted whore."

I was surprised when Barb actually laughed at that. "I'm sure we've all felt like that at some point or another in our lives." She stopped and looked at me, I must have looked sad, or defeated, or something because she came over and put her arms around me. "I'm sorry honey, I know this isn't what you wanted your life to be like. But, you can still see your way out of it. Not sure how, but I'm sure you'll figure that one out on your own."

* * *

I really didn't want to leave my room, I could hear the sound of drunken men downstairs, and looking like I did didn't make me want to be around them anymore than usual. I lit myself a cigarette and headed toward my fate.

By the time I made it down the staircase almost every drunken eye was on me. Men old enough to be my father were leering at me like I was the last drop of water in the desert. I tried to stay as invisible as possible as I wandered around the party. Don had brought out his cheap product, probably trying to entice people into buying the more expensive and better kind.

After a about an hour I was finally able to slip out of the house and onto the porch without much notice. Or at least that was what I thought. I was smoking a cigarette when I heard the heavy footsteps behind me. I figured one of the more drunk guests had come outside to either hit on me, or throw up his stomach in our bushes. Instead I was greeted by Forrest leaning against the railing next to me.

I could almost fill the humiliation and shame flowing through my veins. Even though I figured he knew what Don had me do for his operation, I never wanted him to see me this way. Dressed up like a cheap hooker, using my so called feminine wiles to get men to buy liquor.

I had steeled myself for the fight to come. The harsh words about my attire, or my job, or just me in general. But it never came.

"You look nice." he grunted at me. At that point I don't know what came over me, but I burst into laughter. Maybe it was the fact of him trying to make small talk, or how absurd the idea that I could actually look nice in this contraption.

When my laughter finally died down, I looked at him. He was staring at me with a soft amusement in his eyes. He looked so handsome in the moonlight, I felt my shame slowly being replaced by something else, something more primal.

He must have been feeling the same thing, because before I knew it his hands were on my waist, pulling me closer to him. I could of died from desire when his lips met mine. They were just as soft as I had remembered them. Somehow we made it to the side of the house without how lips parting very much.

His lips went to my neck and my shoulders and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my lips. Forrest was pulling the skirt of my dress up when I got a tiny moment of clarity and gasping, asked him "What brought this on?"

His answer seemed to full both of our fires, "To many men looking at you, have to mark you as mine." It was possessive, and primal. It was exactly what I needed to loose the last of my misgivings.

He took me there, against the wall of my house, my skirt shoved up around my waist, legs wrapped wantonly around him. Forrest's lips were definitely going to leave his mark on me, all over my neck, shoulders, and breasts. When he thrust inside of me all thoughts seemed to just rush from my mind. I gave myself completely over to him, allowing him to pound me into oblivion right there. It didn't last all that very long, which didn't seem to really register to me until I got my barrings back.

It was fast and hard, after all, according to Jack, it had been quite awhile since Forrest had been interested in a woman.

He said he had to go, and kissed me, passionately, good-night.

'I guess my worst nightmare turned into the best dream ever.' I mused to myself as I got into bed that night, my muscles happily sore from my night with Forrest. Part of me was scared that that was all it had been, a night with him. But a louder voice in my head sang triumphantly that I would rather have Forrest back for a night, than to never have him again.


	7. Chapter 7

**_It's another short one. I'm working on getting my laptop working so that I won't have to hurt my wrists on my desk when I write anymore. Until then, they will probably all be short, cause I just can't take that much pain._  
**

**Chapter 7**

It seemed strange to Mina, being with Forrest again, it felt almost as if they had never been apart. He still looked at her with all the love in the world, though he never said those three little words to her. It wasn't like him to profess his undying love, or show any public displays of love. She knew this, and had accepted it a long time ago. Forrest was her's, and she was his. Mina felt very secure about that simple fact.

Forrest, on the other hand, was less secure with that view. He knew he loved her, and that he belonged to her always and forever. That she had taken his heart years before, and she had always had it. But the fact that Mina was still working for her uncle, still wearing those hardly there dresses, still flirting with her uncle's clients, convincing them to shell out more money for his product.

It put a fire in him every time he saw her working, the jealousy would get to much to take sometimes, causing him to seek out seclusion to clear his mind. One singular thought clawing it's way through his brain. 'She would never cheat on me...would she?" If he was honest with himself, he was terrified of loosing her again, of her finding someone better than himself and running away with them.

Her uncle had always been a man who came from money, getting into the business was just a sign of his greed. It seemed Don could never have enough money, could never have enough of anything. And he had gotten his claws into Mina, pushing her harder and harder to accumulate more for himself. Forrest couldn't stand the man, had never seen a redeeming quality in him, and most likely never would.

All he wanted was to take Mina away from that, more than anything he just wanted to marry her and keep her away from this life. She wasn't meant for this, to be flaunted and paraded around. Mina was meant to be free, to run around in the woods in her old overalls and boots. Not to be cooped up in a smoke filled room in a low cut dress and heels. It was like caging a tiger, it was just wrong.

He tried, he really did try, to brooch the subject with her. Asking her how she would like it if they could just run off together, get away from all this for awhile at least. But she wouldn't hear it, she believed she was needed. That Don needed her in the business to thrive. It frustrated him to no ends, and caused many arguments in their lives.

They had been back together for months now, him continuously trying in vain to get her to quit. It was winter now, a great time to be in the business. Everyone wanted something to keep them warm at night. Mina was going on more runs than usual, which just added to Forrest's sour mood.

She came to him one day, asking him if she could borrow his brother's for a run, seeing as the night before Howard had been out drinking with her regular guys and they were still out cold. Forrest agreed, telling Howard to take the back of the truck, to watch the crates, as he climbed in the passenger side. He wouldn't let Jack come, not wanting him to get too involved in this world.

The ride was quiet, Mina didn't spark up any conversation, seemed to be concentrating on the job at hand. In reality, Mina was very nervous, she knew what she had to do, part of her job was flirting with the clientele, and now that Forrest was here with her, it was just feeling even more awkward than usual. They pulled to a stop in front of the a small grouping of cars and a truck.

"Promise me, you won't do anything stupid, Forrest." Mina said after taking a steadying breath, earning a scathing look from her passenger. Finally he gave her a grunt before getting out of the cab of the truck, Mina following after.

"Well, hello there Miss. Montgomery." one of the men said, stepping forward. He was wearing a driving cap and a run down suit. Trying to look more like a respectable man, instead of the sleeze he really was. "I was hoping it'd be you coming to see me on this fine night."

"Well hello yourself, Mr. Carter. I'm sure you knew I'd have to come see you in person, after buying all this from my uncle." Mina drawled back at him, as she sauntered over to him, swaying her hips in a way Forrest had seen her. "I do hope you brought the money, darlin'" she giggled at him.

Though neither knew it, both Forrest and Mina were both waging an inner war. Forrest's was with the jealousy in him, wanting to knock the smile off of this guy's face, and yet not wanting to piss off Mina. Her's was more of a struggle with her internals. One part of her really just wanted to throw up at the rank smell coming off of Mr. Carter, the other part knowing that he was paying a pretty penny for this truck full of booze.

After the money and crates had been exchanged, Mr. Carter got a little handsy with Mina. Reaching out and grabbing her hip, pulling her close to him to offer her a stay in his bed. Mina almost lost her war then, but Forrest lost his first. He charged the scum bag, ripping him away from her and proceeded to bash his teeth in with his brass knuckles. Only stopping when Howard pulled him off of the unconscious man, he barely noticed the other three men groaning on the ground where Howard left them, he just went to Mina.

He tried to grab her and pull her close, to comfort her, but was was instead met with the palm of her hand connecting with his cheek. "What where you thinking?!" she yelled.

"He grabbed you." Forrest responded, confusion showing in his eyes and speech.

"I can take care of my damn self in that situation, I have before!" Mina hollered back at him, stopping after the words left her mouth and realizing that she had said the wrong thing.

"You have before? You're telling me you got men pawing all over you, and you just take care of it?" Mina didn't say anything in response, realizing that he was pissed off and her saying anything else would just make it worse. Howard also got the idea and wandered away to the truck, giving them their space.

"And how do you take care of it, Mina? Huh? Do you take them back up to your room just so Don can get another sale?" He barked at her, knowing but not caring how harsh his words were.

"Fuck you Forrest!" Mina yelled.

"Yeah, me and the rest of the damn town." Forrest snarled at her.

Her eyes got big, and her voice got quiet, indicating that she was dangerously angry. After a few heartbeats and a calming breath she looked up at him. "I don't have to take this from you, of all people. I thought you'd gone back to the man I fell in love with, but I was wrong. We're through, for good." Mina said, in a frighteningly calm voice, turning and walking back to the truck. "You can walk, or ride in the back with Howard, but after tonight, I don't want to see you again, ever."

Forrest opened his mouth to say something, apologize maybe, but nothing came out. He couldn't swallow his pride and take back his harsh words. After a moment, he walked over to the truck and climbed in the back next to Howard. He was grateful that his brother didn't say anything, he just handed him the jar of apple brandy Howard had been nursing since they left. And they headed home.

* * *

_**I'm not too good with super happy stories, if you've read any of my other stories you should know that. I would love to be able to write a happy story, full of love and, well, happiness. But every time I try I feel like I'm not being true to myself, or to whatever muse I have for my story. In my life I've learned that there are no happily ever afters. Real happy endings don't happen, and I find it hard to write something I don't believe in.**_

So for everyone who might get mad at all the angst I write, you can hate my writing for it, but it comes from my heart and my soul, and my life.  


_**Also, I've been pretty busy with work and my son lately, so I haven't been able to respond to any reviews I have gotten. I'd just like to take a moment to thank you all. It warms my heart to know that I don't suck at writing as bad as I think I do. Your continued support means a lot to me, and it means even more to me when a character I've created comes to life for both myself, and my readers. Thank you all, once again.  
**_


	8. Author's Note (I'm sorry)

_**I'm borrowing my husband's computer real quick to put this up. I do plan on finishing this story, the only problem is my computer is all effed up. My account won't let me update anything for some reason, I'm working on fixing it. Please be patient, and don't think that I abandoned this story, it's with me every day and I keep getting more and more thoughts on it. I just can't update it . UGH!**_


	9. Chapter 8

_**Okay, so my internet messed up my page and wouldn't let me publish anything. It seems to have fixed itself. So this is in reply to a review I got asking to write about Forrest and Mina's first time. It is a kind of flash back. I've had a three year old climbing all over me, demanding chocolate milk and dinosaur cookies (which we don't have), so it was kind of hard to write. **_

**Chapter 8**

I told myself I'd only stay for awhile. Forrest had asked that I accompany him to a little get together that was going on that night out in the woods. It was strange, Forrest and I liked to keep our friendship and anything else that we were to each other private. Part of me was wondering if he wanted to take our relationship to a more public place than were it was. The other part of me was just confused because that didn't seem like the Forrest I knew and loved.

It was impossible to ever fully understand Forrest, he was a mysterious person who had many layers to him. With his brother's he was strong and protected them, almost like the mother that they had lost. With people he worked with or who worked for him he was imposing. But with me he was two different people, in public he was distant, not really every saying much to me. In private we would sit out in the bed of his old truck watching the stars and talk well into the night. I had always half hoped that he would be that way with me no matter who was around, but now that he had invited me out on what I considered to be a date, I wasn't sure if I was ready to share the Forrest I knew with the rest of Franklin.

When I got there there was music playing and people dancing around. The little clearing was illuminated by a few little fire pits, and people where handing around mason jars full of cheap, homemade, moon. It was strange seeing so many people that I wasn't supposed to be around in the same place. I spotted Forrest across the clearing, leaning up against a tree, watching everyone.

I made my way over to him, half expecting him to be happy to see me, maybe even kiss me. But when I got closer to him he just nodded his head in the direction away from the party, so I went that way, knowing he'd be following me in a few minutes so no one got suspicious.

When he came up behind me I turned and went to kiss him. But he grabbed my arms and held me away from him. "This ain't gonna work out Mina. We gotta stop doing this."

I hadn't ever expected words to hurt so much, to dig deep inside of you and rip out your heart. But here was the man I loved, telling me it was over. I wanted to cry, to throw myself at his feet and beg...and that pissed me off.

"Whatcha talking bout Forrest?" I said, squaring my shoulders and looking him dead in the eye, letting him know that he wasn't gonna be able to do this to me without an explanation.

"Come on girl, you know what I'm talking about." He turned away from me when he said it, that's when I knew that he didn't want to do this, he couldn't even look me in the eye.

"Look at me, Forrest." When he didn't, I hit him in the shoulder, but he still wouldn't budge. "Your so ready to end this, but you can't even look me in the damn eye, you're chicken shit Forrest Bondurant." I barked at him before I turned and headed back to the party, back to the car I'd borrowed from my aunt's husband.

I didn't make it there by myself unfortunately. I had a tag-along. A boy who thought he could have anyone he wanted, and apparently he decided this night he wanted me. When I told him no, he didn't take to kindly to it, and he ended up taking me off guard. Slamming me up against my car and pinning me there. Before I could even catch my breath Forrest was there, yanking him off of me and beating him up.

When he got done he looked up at me, apparently my reaction wasn't what he was expecting and he was completely unprepared for my fist connecting to his face. "Ow! What the Hell Mina! I save your ass and you punch me for it."

"I wouldn't of needed saving if you hadn't been such a pig-headed moron!" I said, crossing my arms.

"God dammit! Get in the damn car, girl. I'm taking your, ungrateful, ass home!" I had to try very hard not to laugh at him, the look on his face at the fact that he had just shouted at a car door because I was already inside the car was pretty damn funny.

The car ride was pretty silent for awhile, that was til Forrest sighed and pulled off onto a dirt road no one ever used no more. He turned the car off before he spoke, never looking at me. "Look, I ain't no good for you. You got prospects, you can have a good life, and I ain't never gonna be able to give you that, Mina."

"Barb." I growled, looking out the window. My dear, sweet aunt had gotten to him, and now he was thinking what she thought, that he was no good.

"She's right, Mina. You really think that we're gonna have some fancy life together? That we're gonna settle down, have some kids and white picket fence? That just ain't me."

"Forrest, look at me." He finally looked at me, and the look in his eyes damn near made my heart break. "Do you really think that life is me? When did you ever get the idea that I wanted to be a little housewife?" I reached over and took his face in my hands. "Forrest, there is only one thing that matters to me." He stared into my eyes, like he was looking right into my soul. "Do you love me?"

I knew he did, the same as I loved him, we just weren't the type to say it out loud. He paused for a bit, I knew it was gonna be hard for him to say those words out loud. "You know I love you Mina. I always have, and I always will."

I kissed him. It wasn't like the way we usually kissed, it felt like there was more passion behind it. I needed his lips, and before I knew it, he'd taken over, apparently he needed mine just as much. We devoured each other as the car turned into the only place in the world. He didn't even break the kiss as he dragged us both into the back seat, his hands pulling and ripping at my clothes.

We'd never done this before. Forrest was always such a gentleman with me, but this was more than I'd ever dreamnt about with him. I had never thought much about sex, but now it felt like my body took over and it knew all it needed to know. It felt like it took forever and no time at all for our clothes to be off, time didn't seem to be working the same way it normally did. And then he was inside me, and I didn't know what would kill me first, the pain or the pleasure.

Then we were moving together, like some kind of slow dance, Forrest's hands running over my body, mine running over his. I had never imagined that his body would feel, or look the way it did. So strong and muscular, yet soft and yielding under my fingers. He was growling, like he usually did, but this was different, this was primal, this was passionate, this was full of fire and heat.

It took me a while to realize that I was making noises, too. Noises I'd never made before, little moans that sounded like they were coming from someone else. I never made such meek little noises, I was never so out of control of myself. The fire in my belly started up, and spread so quick I thought it was gonna engulf me, consume me whole. Then I exploded, I couldn't control my movements at all as I bucked and writhed underneath him. And the guttural growl he let out as he spilled himself inside of me seemed to send my body into overdrive.

Finally we died down, and he laid on me, both of us trying to catch our breath. I looked up and saw that all the windows in the car were fogged and I couldn't suppress the giggle that turned into an outright laugh that escaped from me. Forrest followed my eyes and before I knew it we were both laughing.

* * *

_**Eventually I'm thinking of having Mina leave with her aunt for awhile, to kind of help the years progress to the point of the movie. For the time that she is gone I was thinking about instead of writing what she's doing and what Forrest is doing, that I'd just have them write letters to each other and have the story between them progress completely in letters written between the two. But I'd like to get some input on that idea. So if it sounds like a good idea, let me know.**_


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